How To Save A Life
by Iamokota
Summary: House and Cameron have officially split up and Cameron is devestated. But everything changes when someone comes along to help her pick up the pieces...and maybe just discover "how to save a life." Wilson/Cameron WIP. NOT A SONGFIC.
1. The Day of Reckoning

**A/N:** This is my first foray into House Fanfic so, please, feedback is absolutely wonderful! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.

I don't own the characters, which is very sad...

Wilson was a great oncologist. Even at his relatively young age, he was respected in the oncology community as an authority on cancer. He was not yet world renowned as his Diagnostician friend, House, was, but it would only be a short trip to that level of prestige. He got referrals from all over the United States and Canada. His patients ranged from the beggars on the street to the affluent millionaires looking for a second opinion. He could have had practically any job he wanted in any hospital across the board. He got a least one call a month from other respected oncologists, asking him to come and join their practice, but something kept him at Princeton-Plainsborough Teaching Hospital. When asked, he merely said that he was happy right where he was at and left it at that.

But that was only half of the reason. The other half was entirely personal and entirely irrational. He had barely admitted it to himself, much less to another living, breathing human being. Least of all to House, who would have disowned his friend for the mere mention of it. Because she was House's girlfriend and therefore untouchable. Wilson would have never done anything to jeopardize his friend's happiness, but it felt like he died a little bit more each day when he saw them together. Outwardly, he was happy and successful, everything everyone expected him to be. Inwardly, he was screaming.

That day started like any other. Wilson woke up, took his shower, got dressed, and went to work. He donned his white lab coat in the employee locker room and put on his most sincere expression. He was everything everyone expected him to be. He saw four patients that morning, had lunch with House, did three hours of clinic duty, and saw another two patients. By the time the last patient left, he was tired, but felt like his day had been successful and fulfilling. He had only had to deal with her once that day when she came and asked him to look over the biopsy results of one of House's patients. He had done so as quickly and as painlessly as possible, doing his best not to look at her more than was normal. He had, however, noticed that she was not her usual bright, happy self.

It came as a real shock when Wilson walked into his office at the end of the day and found her sitting on his couch. That in and of itself was strange, because he could count on one hand the times she had been in his office.

"Cameron?" he said, his voice confused.

Cameron looked up at him and he instantly knew that something was terribly wrong. There were tears streaming down her pale cheeks and her beautiful eyes were red and puffy. He had seen her cry before, but nothing had come close to what she was doing now. He was by her side in an instant, barely stopping to consider his resolve to stay away from her. He put a tentative hand on her arm and she seemed to take that as an invitation. The next thing he knew, she was sobbing uncontrollably into his shoulder. He patted her back awkwardly, trying to calm her.

"What happened, Cameron?" he asked, trying to sound as though the physical contact was not both elating him and scaring him.

"He dumped me," she managed to say through her tears. The admission brought on a fresh wave of sobs and it was several more minutes before she had calmed enough for him to ask her another question.

"What happened?" Wilson asked, again trying to control his own emotions and focus on her needs.

"I don't know," she hiccoughed. "Things have been going great. We were really starting to get close and then, a couple of weeks ago, he started pulling away from me. I tried to talk to him about it, but he wouldn't. And then today…today he…"

Cameron dissolved into tears again before she finished her sentence, but her point was clear enough. Wilson had nothing but sympathy for the young immunologist sobbing into his shoulder. House had done the same thing with Stacy seven years before. It had just taken less time this round.

Outwardly, Wilson's face was everything it should have been: sorrowful, full of compassion, and sympathy. But inwardly, his heart was singing with joy. She was finally free of House. She was a single woman again and, what was better, she had come to him. She needed him and he was more than willing to offer her comfort. He hadn't felt so happy in a long time. He put his arms around her more fully and rubbed her back soothingly.

"Shh," he said. "Everything will be alright, Cameron. Everything is going to work out just fine."

She cried for a while longer and then muttered that she needed to get home. Wilson frowned thoughtfully. Cameron was in no shape to drive, so he offered to drive her to her apartment, overriding her feeble protests. When it was all said and done, she allowed him to lead her to his car. She fell asleep on the drive to her apartment and, reluctant to disturb her peaceful slumber, he picked her up and carried her to her door. He fished her keys out of her purse, blushing furiously the whole time, and opened the door. Once he was inside, he carried her to her bedroom and put her in bed, covering her gently and brushing her long, brown hair off of her pale, tear-streaked face. He stood there for a moment, watching her sleep, amazed at how innocent and beautiful she was.

He had been married and divorced three times, to three different and beautiful women, but none of them could hold a candle to the beautiful, young woman sleeping in front of him. Wilson smiled before hesitantly placing a soft kiss on her forehead and heading out of her room, closing the door softly behind him. He made his way back to the living room and sank onto her couch, determined to be there for her should she wake up and still be upset. He kicked his shoes off and swung his legs up onto the couch. As he fell asleep, Wilson smiled contentedly. Things were finally starting to look up.

Please R and R!!


	2. Mournings of Truth

A/N: I do not own Wilson, House, Cuddy, Cameron, or anyone...it's still very sad.

* * *

Cameron yawned and stretched, her eyes fluttering open. Her eyes were sore and her head was throbbing and it took her a moment to remember what had happened the day before. She rubbed her eyes, fighting back a fresh wave of anger and rejection, and sat up, looking around for the first time. She blinked in surprise when she realized that she was in her room in her apartment and she immediately wondered how she had gotten there. The last thing she remembered was sitting in Wilson's office…

Jumping out of bed, Cameron made her way down the hallway to her small living room and smiled when she saw the sleeping form of James Wilson lying on her couch. His mouth was open slightly and he was snoring softly. He was still dressed in the clothes he had been wearing the day before and she was very touched that he had stayed there. She watched him sleep for a moment before going over to him and shaking him gently. He woke up almost instantly and blinked up at her sleepily. The confusion and innocence on his face was very endearing and Cameron smiled widely. Slowly, he realized where he was and when he did he smiled and sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," he replied, yawning as he did so. Cameron smiled again.

"Do you want some coffee?" she asked. "I was just about to go make some."

He rubbed his eyes again. "Yea. That would be great."

She stood up and headed to the kitchen, busily making coffee for the two of them. When it was done, she went back to living room with the two cups and found him sitting where she had left him. He smiled as she walked into the room and she felt a little shiver run down her spine. His hand brushed hers as he took the cup and she felt the heat rise in her cheeks. She sat down next to him on the couch and busied herself with putting sugar and cream into her cup so he wouldn't see her blush, but she had a sneaking suspicion that he noticed anyway. They drank their coffee in silence, both comforted by the age old morning ritual.

"How are you feeling today?" he asked, glancing over at her.

Cameron's face instantly darkened, but she didn't cry, which she supposed Wilson was grateful for. She had seen him deal with a million crying patients with compassion and empathy, but it was always with a detached and professional air. She knew that it would be awkward if she started bawling again.

"Like crap," she said bluntly. He winced slightly when she said it and her expression softened a bit. "I'm sorry. "

He flashed her a little smile. "It's okay," he said. "You have every right to be blunt."

Cameron smiled slightly and nodded. They went back to drinking their coffee in companionable silence.

"He fired me," she said suddenly. She knew that bitterness was heavy in her voice and she wished that she hadn't said anything. Wilson's face had gone dark at the mention of House and she had the distinct impression that Wilson was working very hard to conceal his anger. After a few seconds, he seemed to calm down and he looked up at her, his eyes compassionate.

"Do you want me to go talk to Cuddy?" he asked. "You could probably have your job back tomorrow."

Cameron shook her head. "No. I don't want to work with him anymore. He would be unbearable. He was hard enough to take when we were together."

Wilson nodded, accepting what she was saying without question. She looked back down at her coffee, deep in thought. She knew she would be better off if she found a new job, away from House, but it saddened her to think that she wouldn't be working at Princeton-Plainsborough every day. She would miss working with Chase, Foreman, Cuddy, and Wilson and she would miss the interesting cases she helped solved. She just couldn't bear the thought of working with House, though.

They finished drinking their coffee, sticking to polite small talk and when 8 o'clock rolled around he reluctantly stood up and told her that he had to go home and get ready for work.

"Do you want me to stop by after work?" he asked her hopefully. "We could go grab some dinner somewhere."

Cameron looked at him curiously for a moment, a refusal on the tip of her tongue. She was just about to turn him down when something stopped her. He was looking at her with those bright brown eyes that had always captivated her and he looked so hopeful and so inviting that she simply couldn't turn him down.

"That would be great," she heard herself say.

Wilson's smiled brightly and she couldn't help but smile back.

"Just dress casually," he said, as he donned his jacket and headed for the door. "We'll go do something fun."

Cameron smiled again and nodded. "I'll see you at 6:30?"

"It's a date," he said with a wink and disappeared through the door before she had time to protest.

* * *

Wilson knocked on the door to Cuddy's office and waited until she called that it was okay before coming in. She was seated at her desk and going over some files, but she looked up when he walked in and leaned back in her chair.

"House fired Cameron," he said without preamble. Cuddy nodded.

"I know," she said heavily. "He brought me the forms this morning. I knew something was up the second he stepped into my office. He never brings me forms. He always sends Cameron."

"Do you know why he fired her?" Wilson asked.

"No," Cuddy said, shaking her head and frowning. Wilson mentally slapped his forehead.

"They've been in a relationship for the past three months and yesterday they broke it off."

The transformation in Cuddy's demeanor was astounding. She went from shocked to confused to angry to raging mad in less than thirty seconds. Wilson unconsciously stepped back as Cuddy jumped up from her chair and began to storm out of her office. Wilson stepped in front of the door just in time and put out a hand to stop her.

"Where are you going?" he asked cautiously.

"To chew out House's ass," she said through clenched teeth. "He cannot fire Cameron just because they aren't seeing each other anymore. That's discrimination. She could sue us for wrongful dismissal."

"She won't," Wilson assured her, guiding her to a chair. "She doesn't want to work for House anymore, anyway."

"How do you know that?" Cuddy asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I…I took her home last night and slept on her couch," he said, looking slightly guilty. "I just wanted to make sure she was going to be ok."

Cuddy still looked suspicious, but she didn't pursue the matter. "I could hire her back in a different department," she said thoughtfully. "There's an opening in the ER."

"There's an opening in the oncology department too," Wilson said, throwing caution to the wind and trying to sound innocent. He knew he had failed miserably by the look that Cuddy gave him and he looked down, slightly embarrassed by his own stupidity. Cuddy frowned up at him, but decided to ignore his last comment.

"Tell you what," she said. "You tell Cameron to come and see me and she can have whatever opening she wants. She can even have her job back in diagnostics. It's up to her though. I assume you're going over there tonight?"

Wilson opened his mouth to lie to her, but he knew that it was no use. Cuddy had already read his emotions and his body language like an open book. "I'll tell her," he said grudgingly and stood up to leave. His hand was on the doorknob when Cuddy called out to him.

"Oh and Wilson," she said and he could hear the smile in her voice. "Good luck."

Smiling slightly, Wilson walked out the door.


	3. A Date Come True

A/N: A very hard chapter to write. It took me several days, but I managed! Enjoy! Still don't own them...sigh...

* * *

The rest of the day passed without incident and Wilson found himself eagerly awaiting five o'clock so that he could leave and go get ready for his dinner with Cameron. Even though he had said the word date to her, he refused to call it such in his own mind. The word date came with a lot of expectations and he knew that there were expectations that himself and Cameron could not and would not be able to fulfill that night. He cringed at the thought of becoming her rebound guy, a quick screw to fill the void that had been left by House, though he didn't think she would ever resort to such measures. He was very glad, too. The mere thought made him feel sick

By 6:25, he was at her apartment door, dressed in comfortable jeans, sneakers, and a red t-shirt and eager to see Cameron. He knocked on the door and only had to wait a few seconds before she opened it. He gasped when he saw her.

She was dressed in a pair of jeans that hugged her body in all the right places and a flowery top that was cinched around her small waist and accentuated her curves. She had left her hair down and it rippled down her back in luscious brown waves that he longed to run his fingers through. She had put on just a touch of make up around her eyes and he was astounded at how stunning she was, even dressed simply. She was truly breath taking. He took a deep steadying breath and struggled to find his voice.

"Wow," he said. "You look amazing."

Cameron's cheeks flushed slightly and she smiled warmly up at him, her eyes sparkling. "You look good, too," she said stepping back to let him in. "I just need to get my purse and my cell phone and then we can leave."

Wilson watched her walk back down the hall, amazed at how her hair bounced when she moved and how gracefully she carried herself. A few moments later she was back in the living room and they left the apartment and got into his car. He started it and then looked over at her.

"Any place in particular you want to go?" he asked.

She looked up thoughtfully and then smiled. "Let's go down to the river walk. I haven't been down there in a long time."

Wilson smiled and backed out of his parking space. It took them fifteen minutes to get to the river walk. When they got there they bought cheap hotdogs and beer from a vendor and then sat at a picnic table by the playground and ate. When they were done eating, Cameron walked over to the swing set and sat down. Wilson took the swing next to her.

"I talked to Cuddy today," he said casually, glancing over at her. "She's furious at House for firing you. She was on the verge of storming into his office and demanding he give you your job back. I talked to her though and she's offering you any opening in the hospital that you want, including your job in the Diagnostics Department."

He looked up at her to see how she was reacting and was astounded to see tears in her eyes. He instantly regretted his conversation with Cuddy. He mentally slapped himself as tears began pouring down Cameron's face.

"Oh no…I'm sorry, Cameron," he said sadly. "I should have talked to you first. I just thought –"

She held up a hand and he fell silent. She took a few deep breaths and wiped the tears from her eyes and then turned to look at him, a huge smile on her face.

"Thank you, Wilson," she said, leaning over from her swing and hugging him. Confusion rippled through him as he hugged her back and he shook his head trying to clear it.

"But," he started, confused. "I thought you were upset that I had interfered."

Cameron laughed and Wilson felt his heart soar. Her laugh was like music to his ears.

"No," she said, still laughing. "I'm touched that you would do that for me. I'll go and talk to Cuddy tomorrow and see what positions are available. I don't want to work for House again, but I don't want to leave Princeton either. Thank you for talking to her for me. It means a lot to me."

She gave him one more quick squeeze and then let him go, standing up as she did so.

"What do you want to do now?" she asked, turning to face him, her eyes sparkling, her long hair dancing in the breeze. "It's only 8:30! We've got the whole night ahead of us!"

Wilson cocked his head to the side slightly and looked at her curiously. There was something warm and inviting in her voice and her eyes and he found himself drawn to her hypnotically. And suddenly Wilson did not feel like himself. He jumped off of the swing and grabbed Cameron's hand, spinning her around like he might a toddler. Her shout of laughter made him grin and he pulled her into his arms and swung her around. As he looked into her eyes, he felt as though everything was right in the world and that he had finally found the one thing that could make him feel that way. She gazed back at him through her eyelashes and he sensed an invitation in her eyes. Moving slowly and hesitantly, he moved his lips towards hers. He stopped a few inches from her lips and searched her eyes, but he saw only acceptance and desire there and he grinned and closed the gap between them. He kissed her softly and lightly at first, though the intensity of his desire was begging him to do more. She returned his kiss with enthusiasm and he slowly lost himself in the feel and the taste of her. It was as if there was nothing else in the world, but her and her lips and kissing her.

_No wonder House had always looked like he was on top of the world…_

And with that thought Wilson suddenly pulled away from her lips and let go of her. As he took a few steps away, he wiped his lips hurriedly, trying to get forget the feel of her and the taste of her. He looked back and saw the confusion on her face.

"I shouldn't have done that," he said, unable to meet her eyes. "I'm sorry." He turned away from her and took a few deep breaths trying to steady himself, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't forget the feel of her lips against his. He stood there like that for a few moments trying to get his bearing and started when he felt a hand brush across his back.

Wilson turned and found himself looking into Cameron's eyes again. He made to pull back from her, but she placed a firm hand behind his head and pressed her lips to his. He struggled with himself for a moment, but soon closed his eyes and lost himself in the kiss. When they pulled away from each other, Wilson looked down into her eyes.

"I'm not sorry," she said, her eyes sparkling. "My place or yours?"

"Yours is closer," he said, grinning broadly. As she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the car, he felt a curl of joy in his stomach. It was like all his dreams were finally coming true.

* * *

Please R and R!


	4. Slow and Steady Wins the Race

I had a LOT of fun writing this chapter. Teehee! Hope you enjoy. As always, I don't own them, I just use them to my own twisted end. MWAHAHAHA!!

* * *

Cameron woke up slowly. She was very warm and very comfortable and the thought of getting up was absolutely repulsive. Instead, she shifted slightly and found that there was a pair of arms wrapped around her. Her sleepy mind puzzled over this for a moment, wondering where she was and who the arms belonged to. She felt the person she was nestled up against shift and then realized that they were both naked and groaned as she remembered the night before. Pulling herself free, she darted into the bathroom and pulled on her bathrobe, her cheeks flaming red at the mere idea of what had happened between them. From the bedroom, she heard Wilson yelp and she pulled the robe tighter around her, her cheeks still burning.

Avoiding the bedroom door as much as possible, she went into the kitchen and busied herself with making coffee, hoping to cover up some of the awkwardness in familiarity. She heard the sounds of him getting dressed and steeled herself when she heard the bedroom door open. She was waiting for him in the living room when he appeared and almost smiled at the way his hair was sticking up, but decided that, given the circumstances, that might not be the best course of action. She held out a mug and he accepted it gratefully, though he carefully avoided making eye contact. They sat in a tense silence, sipping coffee and avoiding each other's eyes.

Cameron reflected on the irony of their predicament. It had only been a day since they had sat in that very room and talked to one another so freely. But one night had changed everything. One night had changed the very nature of their relationship, though neither seemed to know why things were so awkward and tense. Finally, unable to stand it any longer, Cameron broke the silence.

"I'm going to go talk to Cuddy today," she said brightly, hoping she sounded more at ease than she felt. She saw some of the tension drain out of Wilson's face and felt some of her own anxiety melt away.

"That's good," he said, taking another sip of coffee. "Any idea what job you're going to take?"

Cameron shook her head. "No," she said thoughtfully. "I'm just going to see what's available and then make a decision. I just know that I won't be taking the opening in Diagnostics."

Wilson smiled slightly. "That goes without saying."

They lapsed back into silence, the only sounds the ticking of the clock on the wall and the slurping of hot coffee. As easily as the tension had melted away, it resolidified around them. It was the loudest silence Cameron had ever experienced in her life and she was desperate to make things right between them.

"Wilson?" she said tentatively.

He glanced up at her, eyebrows raised and she cleared her voice nervously. "About last night…"

Her voice faltered and Wilson looked away, his cheeks turning pink. "Yea…about that…" he said, avoiding her eyes.

"I…I had a good time with you," she said, haltingly. "And I really did enjoy…well…everything, but…I just don't think I'm quite ready for all of this yet. It's too soon," she finished lamely. Wilson looked down at his hands.

"I understand," he said, sighing heavily and looking up at her. "I never meant for things to go that far. I just wanted to help you get your mind off of Hou – things."

Cameron smiled at him warmly. "Well, you certainly did that. And I thank you for it. I don't want to completely ignore everything that happened," she added, watching him carefully. "I think I'd just like to slow down a bit. Start from the beginning. You know?"

Wilson's eyes brightened considerably and he smiled up at her happily. "Yea," he said. "And I think I'd like that, too. We won't have…uhh…well, you know. We'll just slow it down and take it easy. Agreed?"

Cameron nodded and then stood up. Wilson did the same and they looked at each other for a moment, both smiling. It was Wilson who broke the silence.

"Look at the time!" he exclaimed. "I'm going to be late for work if I don't leave right now. And you wouldn't want to be late for your interview," he added with a wink.

Cameron laughed and followed him to the door. They stood for a moment by it looking at one another, each wondering what the appropriate parting would be. Wilson hesitantly bent down and gave Cameron a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I'll see you later," he whispered in her ear, placing another swift kiss on her cheek and hurrying out the door.

Cameron watched him until he was out of sight and smiled as the door swung shut. As she began to get ready for the day ahead of her, she couldn't help but remember the evening they had spent together and the sensations he had inspired. She had never felt so alive as when she was with James Wilson. Her cheeks flushed and she shook her head.

_Silly as a schoolgirl,_ she thought and stepped into the shower, a small smile on her face.

* * *

Please, R&R!!


	5. Author's Note

To my dear readers:

I am so sorry that it has been so long since you all have heard from me and since I have updated. My real life is a little crazy right now (crazier than normal) and I have very little free time for writing (or anything else for that matter). Also, I seem to have hit a huge bit of writer's block that covers all aspects of fanfic, no matter the fandom or the story. I have been trying to work on some things when I can, but nothing is coming up as very good. I'll try to get something updated here in the next month or two, but I'm not making any promises.

Also, something else that might prevent me from updating… My boyfriend is leaving for basic training for the Air Force on November 18 and I don't see me being able to write/update/move/breathe anytime near that particular date. So if I haven't updated something by November, don't expect the update anytime soon thereafter.

Thank you for your continued support, my dear readers and I will try my hardest to get you something new very soon!

All the best,  
Hallie


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